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Ebon to finally get runway

P1 Unity can survive “There is no such thing as disunity in Micronesia.” With these words, Micronesian Constitutional Convention delegates Luke Tman of Yap told Micronesian university students in Hawaii during a radio interview that amor issues facing the constitutional convention would be resolved this week.

P7 About preservationby Mary Browning “One could not say that the people of Micronesia support preservation. They do not, however, necessarily oppose it — if for no other reason than that most of them just do not think about it at all.” So says Diane Maddex in an article entitled “Micronesia: Wind, Water and History” in Historic Preservation, and I’m sure she’s right because 99 percent of the people anywhere don’t give a snap for preservation. What then should be done to insure that the House of Taga and Nan Madol don’t succumb to the elements? Should American organizations step in and plan, direct and accomplish the preservation? No, says Maddex, for this would be yet further paternalism. Further, “if it is not in the tree’s nature to grow, it will not.” Micronesians must decide whether or not to preserve places and customs.

P9 Bar association organizes The Marshall Islands Bar Association has elected officers for the coming year. Harley Earwicker, District Attorney, was elected President; Legal Services Senior Trial Assistant Ruben Zackhras is Vice President; Hemos Jack and James McAfee, legal counsel attached to Nitijela, were elected Secretary and Treasurer, respectively.

P10 Ebon: Isolated southern atoll The land of “Inedrel” will soon be visitable by just about anyone. Construction of the runway for the southern atoll is well along and expected to be completed around Christmas. In just a couple of months, Ebon will no longer be the last major inhabited atoll without an airfield.

P19 Interior work PII/McConnell Dowell workers get ready to place fixtures into the ceiling of the fourth and top floor of the capital building. Last week, workers were testing the recently installed water piping system. Expected completion date for the capital complex is May 1993.

Journal 11/7/2003

P3 Will UDP maintain election dominance? Most observers agree: The lead up to this month’s national election has been quiet in contrast to the 1999 campaign. Low-key though it may be, this election has significant implications at the national level. Two organized parties are battling for a majority — 17 — of the seats in Nitijela come January so they can command the government for the next four years. The Ailin Kein Ad party has accused the ruling United Democratic Party of undermining traditional custom and not respecting iroij leadership. This argument has grown since the UDP victory in 1999, which led to President Kessai Note, a commoner, unseating then-President Imata Kabua. A more plausible explanation of the 1999 vote was the public’s dissatisfaction with the previous administration, not the iroij system itself, which still enjoys strong respect in the community. What is significant, however, is that it is being used as a key issue in the campaign.

P29 US embassy’s party gesture US Ambassador Greta Morris is celebrating International Education week from November 17-21 by inviting Marshallese graduates of four-year American universities to a reception at the embassy on November 20.